Hidden Adoration
by iloveromance
Summary: Niles is concerned about Daphne's reaction to the news that he's married Mel. An alternate version of the same scene in "Something Borrowed Someone Blue"
1. Chapter 1

"In light of Daphne's wedding, maybe we shouldn't tell her right now." Niles said.

"Oh Niles, we can't keep something like this a secret!" Mel said.

"Keep what a secret?"

Niles heart clinched in his chest when Daphne appeared in the dining room, looking beautiful as always; her hair swept up on top of her head and wearing a pink shirt

that brought out the color of her perfect cheeks.

How in the world was he going to tell her?

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Mel took his hand. "We got married!"

Damn that Mel... He should have known that she'd blurt out the words as though they were just that; words with hardly any meaning. It was almost as though she

was saying them in vain.

He watched Daphne's face for a reaction, but she only smiled and walked toward them, shaking their hands in congratulations.

"Well I think that's just wonderful!" She said a little too brightly.

Then to his surprise, she ran out of the room, saying something about getting a check to the caterers before they closed. Frasier offered to drive her but she refused.

And in that refusal, Niles heard an unmistakable quivering in her voice.

For a woman who was getting married within days, she certainly didn't seem very happy; and that concerned him.

It was almost as if-

No, it was impossible; wishful thinking even.

Feeling guilty for the unfaithful thought, he quickly shoved it from his mind and turned to Mel, who was beaming with happiness.

Determined to show that he was a good husband, he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"I'll be right back." He whispered in her ear.

Immediately, she turned to face him. "Where are you going?" She snapped.

The tone of her voice stung him, but he brushed it off as just another one of her quirks that he realized he'd have to get used to.

"Niles!" She snapped again. "I asked you a question and as your wife, I expect an answer!"

Niles swallowed hard, knowing he didn't have to look at Frasier or his father to read the expression on their faces. The silence in the room told

him all he needed to know. Suddenly it was becoming clearer and clearer how similar Maris and Mel

were.

"Yes, Darling." He said. "I-I just wanted to ask Daphne... what time we should be at the hotel."

"But Niles, can't you just ask-." Mel stopped suddenly when she saw Martin and Frasier looking at her.

Then she turned to Niles and smiled sweetly.

"Of course, Dear. Go ahead." She added, grasping his hand in hers.

Niles could feel Frasier and his dad's glances on him as he opened the door and went into the hallway.

He looked around, dismayed when he saw no sign of her. He was about to return to Frasier's apartment when she emerged from around the corner.

"Daphne?"

She looked up and his heart ached when he saw that she'd been crying.

"Dr Crane... I thought you'd be inside with Mel."

"Well, I just wanted to-Are you okay, Daphne?"

She looked away, as though embarrassed and brushed the tears from her face. With a trembling hand, he reached out and touched her arm, causing her to

smile at him. "You're such a good friend to worry about me Dr. Crane, but I'm fine. Really I am."

"If you don't mind my saying so, you look quite upset for someone who's getting married in just a few short days."

"Oh... I was hopin' you wouldn't notice, but then again... you're always noticin' me new perfume or outfit." Daphne said.

"Anything I can do to help?" He asked.

With a smile, she reached out and gently squeezed his hand. "I'm afraid there's nothin' anybody can do. But it doesn't matter anyway, because-."

"Why don't we go somewhere and talk?" he asked quietly.

"For God's sake, I don't need a therapy session, Dr. Crane! Why is it that you people, whenever you find someone who's a little emotional-."

Niles wanted to kick himself. How could he have been so insensitive? Daphne wasn't a patient! She was a goddess!

"Daphne, I-."

Her voice broke and she began to cry. "I'm sorry for that horrible outburst. You're right. We should-Oh God... I'm just so confused right now!"

Not caring that Mel was in Frasier's apartment just feet away, Niles moved toward Daphne. "Come here." He said holding out his arms.

At first she resisted but then a sob escaped. "Dr. Crane..."

She stepped into his embrace; her tear stained cheek resting against his chest. He held her close, gently rubbing her back.

"It's overwhelming, isn't it? You've been working so hard, taking care of Dad and planning this wedding. But I know it'll all be worth it. Donny's... well... a very lucky

man and I just want you to know how much Frasier and I appreciate everything you've done for Dad."

Slowly she raised her head and smiled at him. "Thank you, Dr. Crane." She said, kissing his cheek.

He could feel his face reddening from the touch of her lips and he grinned shyly. "You're welcome, Daphne. I-I guess I'd better get back in there."

"Yeah. Mel's waiting for you." She said quietly.

He sighed deeply. "Right. Well, I'll see you later?"

"Of course." She said with a knowing smile.

He reached for the doorknob and was mere seconds from opening the door when-

"Dr Crane?"

He let go of the doorknob and turned to face her. "Yes Daphne?"

"I think we need to talk. A-about us."

He looked at her in surprise. "Us?"

"Yes, well..."

He could see how uncomfortable she was, and it touched him deeply that she felt she could confide in him.

But the words echoed in his mind.

"_About us..."_


	2. Chapter 2

He swallowed hard, unable to believe what he'd just heard. The idea that Daphne wanted to discuss their relationship both thrilled and terrified him.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he asked quietly.

Daphne nodded. "That would be lovely, but what about-."

"Mel? Don't worry about her. Just give me a few minutes and I'll meet you out front."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane." Daphne said as she reached out to touch his hand.

Niles opened the door and returned to Frasier's condo, where he was immediately greeted by Mel who flung herself into his arms.

"What took you so long?" She demanded. "I can't believe you just left me sitting here alone!"

Niles couldn't help but notice the annoyed looks on the faces of his father and brother.

"Look, Mel... I'm sorry, but it just couldn't be helped." He said, releasing himself from her grip.

"I spoke with Daphne for a few minutes and then a patient called in quite a state of distress." He lied, praying that his nose wouldn't bleed.

Mel rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"Niles Crane, I know for a fact that it doesn't take that long to talk to a patient!" She snapped. "Five minutes is _more_ than enough time."

Niles sighed. He should have known that confronting his wife would be difficult, but he hadn't counted on this scenario. Daringly, he glanced at Frasier

and his father and then back to Mel.

"Well, the woman is in such a state of despondency, that I insisted that we meet for a session." He lied again.

"WHAT?" Mel yelled, startling all three men with her outburst. "Niles, _really_! We have a party at 7:30 tonight at the Sundance Club! We'll never make it in

time!"

"Mel, it will be fine. This patient has... severe emotional issues and if I don't-."

"I told you about this social function _weeks_ ago!" Mel snapped! "Oh, I can't believe you're putting your patients above your responsibilities as my

husband!"

"Mel, don't you think that you're being unreasonable about this whole thing?"

Martin asked. "Niles is just trying to do the right thing."

"You of all people should understand the importance of helping patients in need!" Frasier added.

"Stay out of this, you two!" Mel screamed.

Niles cast a grateful but sympathetic glance at his father and brother.

Finally Mel sighed loudly and looked at Niles. "All right. Just... go and get it over with! In the meantime, I'll go to the party alone and explain your lateness. But you'd

_better_ show up! And _don't_ make this a habit, you understand?"

"Mel, I thought I made it perfectly clear to you that my patients come first."

Niles said calmly. "I have to oversee their well-being and if you can't understand that-."

Mel rose from the sofa and grabbed her purse. "And _you_ should understand that I simply cannot arrive at such an important social function without a companion!"

"Mel, if you'd just-."

But before he could say another word, she walked out, slamming the door behind her.

The silence in the condo was deafening. Niles glanced at his father and brother, positive that their awkward gazes, mirrored his own.

"Sherry Niles?" Frasier finally said from the bar.

"No... No thank you." Niles answered. "I should probably just-."

"Go talk to Daphne, Son." Martin said with a smile.

He looked at his father in disbelief. "What?"

"Niles, I'm not stupid. I know damn well that you weren't talking to any patient."

Niles smiled and hugged his father. "Thanks, Dad. I feel terrible about leaving Mel the way I did, but Daphne... she's visibly upset and I can't figure out why.

And now she tells me that she wants to talk about us? How am I supposed to just...?"

"Go on, Niles." Frasier said. "Daphne's waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

Niles could feel his heart beating when he reached the lobby of the Elliot Bay Towers, alarmed when he looked at his watch and realized how long he'd been in

Frasier's condo, arguing with Mel. The woman was simply intolerable at times. But there was no time to dwell on that now... He simply had to find Daphne.

He looked around the expansive lobby, his heart aching when he realized that he was alone. Surely she'd long since given up on him and gone off on her

errand to the caterer's. He'd really blown it this time. He'd lost his final chance at love, because he was so worried about pleasing his wife-who, as he was slowly

finding out, was a seemingly impossible case.

There was simply no pleasing her at all; no matter how hard he tried. They'd barely been married a day, but over the course of their relationship, she never failed to

correct his words or comment on his clothing being just right. Daphne, on the other hand, was such a kind and caring person and never thought twice about giving a

compliment no matter how small. It was just one of a million little things that made him love her so much.

Well... All of that was over now. In less than twenty-four hours, she'd be a married woman and she'd be gone forever.

Oh, they'd always be friends; he was sure of that. She'd always have that special bond that she shared with Frasier and their father. But she would never know about

how much Niles cared for her; how he'd worshiped her since the day he'd met her... and longed to hold her in his arms

ever since.

With a sigh, he turned to go back to Frasier's condo. No sense in beating around the bush; might as well tell them the truth and be done with it.

The best man won and in this case, that man was Donny Douglas.

He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the tears behind his eyes. The elevator doors opened and he walked inside.

"Dr Crane?"

He whirled around; his heart racing when he saw her.

"Daphne..."

He ran out of the elevator seconds before the elevator doors opened and hugged her tightly. Then as though what he'd done was wrong, he let go.

"Oh, thank God you're here!" He said, barely aware that he'd spoken the words.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting for so long. It was inexcusable and you must absolutely abhor me. I just wanted to say that-."

Her fingertips touched his mouth to silence him, causing a shiver to run through his body.

"I could never hate you, Dr. Crane." She said with a smile.

He'd been right all along... She really _was_ a goddess.

He swallowed hard, feeling a sudden familiar shyness. "Thank you, Daphne. That means a lot to me."

"I-I still think we should talk... about us I mean." She said.

"Of course." He said as his nervousness increased. "Why don't we go for that walk now?" Niles suggested.

"Actually, why don't we just sit over there?" She asked, pointing to a secluded corner of the lobby. Funny that he'd never noticed it before.

He took her hand and led her to the sofa where they sat down. He looked into her beautiful eyes, having no idea what he should say.

"This will certainly be more comfortable than walking around in this heat! The weather in Seattle has been so unpredictable lately; one day rain and the

next sunshine. I just hope the rain holds off until after the wedding." He said, unable to stop himself from talking.

It was a nervous habit he'd acquired as a child. At the first sign of nervousness, he would begin to speak about the most uninteresting things.

And here he was, going on and on about the weather of all things! Why Daphne must-

He stopped, gasping lightly when a tear slid down her cheek.

_Oh Dear God..._

"Daphne, what is it?" He asked, putting his hand on her forearm.

"I-I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I just-I can't..."

When she began to sob he took her in his arms and held her, not caring that several tenants of the Elliot Bay Towers were staring at them.

When they made eye contact with him, he shook his head and mouthed "wedding jitters", relived when they nodded sympathetically and walked away.

Although he refused to believe that nervousness would cause such an emotional response. Daphne was truly hurting and it had nothing to do with her upcoming

wedding.

He'd seen it time and time again in his couples' therapy groups. And even though his own marriage seemed to be unraveling just as it began, he always managed to

find the right words to say.

Until now...

He cleared his throat nervously, prompting her to pull away from him.

"I'm so sorry for burdenin' you like this, Dr. Crane." She said as she brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Daphne, you could never be a burden." Niles said gently. "Now, what's this all about?"

"I-I don't quite know how to begin." Daphne said.

"Look, whatever disagreement you and Donny had..."

When she looked at him in surprise, he immediately regretted the question. Once again, he'd said the wrong thing. And sadly he'd said it to the woman he worshiped

and adored above all others.

"Daphne, I'm sorry. That was... completely insensitive of me. I know how scary getting married can be and in my couples' therapy group we get lots of newlyweds who

just need a little reassurance that they've made the right decision. Donny is a... great person and I know you'll be very happy together."

The words, although spoken in the sincerest of form, literally made his chest hurt to say them.

"You're so sweet, Dr. Crane but this has nothin' to do with Donny. It's about you and Mel."


	4. Chapter 4

He stared at her in shock. Discussing Mel was the last thing he'd planned on doing tonight. But then it hit him; Mel had made it clear on several occasions about her

dislike for Daphne; an idea that Niles simply couldn't fathom.

It was only natural that Mel's insincerity would cause Daphne to feel uncomfortable. But his wife always had to upstage everyone, no matter what the cost. And in

Niles' opinion, Daphne's feelings were worth more than priceless works of art.

"Daphne, I'm terribly sorry for the way Mel treated you tonight. She's... just a little excited about being a newlywed I suppose."

To his horror, she began to cry again. Something was terribly wrong.

"Dear God, Daphne. Did Mel say something else to you?"

He could only imagine what Mel might have told Daphne in his absence. He absolutely hated the way she treated Daphne as though she were a slave. If

Mel had one ounce of compassion, she would embrace Daphne's presence instead of choosing to feel threatened by her.

And still he loved her. They had so much in common and their conversations were always so lively.

"No." Daphne was saying now. "Mel didn't say a word to me. It's just..."

He took her hand, rubbing it's silkiness with his thumb. "You can tell me anything. I hope you know that."

"But Dr. Crane, she's your wife and I just..."

"This is obviously causing you great pain, and as your friend, I want to help you. So just... tell me what's on your mind; anything at all. I promise never to

tell another soul; no matter what it is. And don't worry about hurting my feelings. Mel can be difficult as you know, but she means well and-"

"Dr Crane, I think I'm falling in love with you."

He looked up, unable to believe what he'd just heard; or even if he'd heard her at all. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Oh God, Dr. Crane. I've upset you." Daphne said as her voice broke. . "I just... I can't seem to do anything right these days. I knew this would happen! Here

you've just gotten married and I tell you something like this. "

"H-how long have you felt this way?" He asked, barely able to get the words out.

"Ever since your brother told me that you've been in love with me for six years." Daphne said.

Niles was stunned. "_Frasier_ told you this?"

"He-he didn't mean to. He'd been takin' those pills for his bloody back and just blurted it out while I was givin' him a mas-sage."

Once again, Niles was speechless. "I'm sorry, Daphne." He said, not knowing what else to say.

"Dr Crane, there's nothin' to be sorry for. It's me own bloody fault anyway. After your brother told me, I just..."

"You what?" He asked, certain he was dreaming. "I started to think about you all the time. How sweet, caring and kind you are to everyone you meet. I haven't been

able to sleep and I've been a complete mess this whole week. I can only imagine how scary I must look right now."

Niles couldn't help but smile. "You're beautiful."

She reached out and touched his cheek. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. But it's too late now, I suppose."

"What are you saying?"

"Well you're with Mel now and you're obviously in love with her. You couldn't possibly still have feelings for me."

"Nothing could be further from the truth." he said.

"You mean... You really are in love with me?" she asked.

Niles took her hand and kissed it. "Even more so now than I was five minutes ago. Daphne, I wanted to tell you... so many times but... I just..."

"So what should we do?"

"Well, I suppose I should contact my lawyer about getting my marriage annulled." Niles said. "Although I have no doubt that Mel will make things

difficult."

Daphne sighed. "And I should talk to Donny right away. God, he'll never understand this."

"Daphne, I'm so sorry. I never meant to cause you any pain. If I had any idea that you felt the same way, I would have never married Mel. I know my timing

is absolutely horrendous and I should have told you how I felt about you months-even years ago."

"I just don't know what I'm goin' to say to him." Daphne said, staring at the floor. "But I can't marry him now. Not when I'm in love with another man."

Niles' heart soared. "I love you, Daphne."

She ran her hand through his hair and touched her forehead to his. "And I love you. God, I -I can't believe this is really happening."

"I've dreamed about this day my entire life. To have the most beautiful woman in the world tell me that she loves me. A woman I have loved since I first laid

eyes on her."

"Oh, Niles..." She said, holding him close.

After a long while she let go. "Well, I suppose we have a lot of things to sort out with our significant others. God, this is going to be so hard."

"Yes, we do and it won't be easy." Niles said. "But first things first..."

He took her in his arms and kissed her; aware of the tiny sigh that escaped. When the kiss ended, Daphne looked at him and smiled. "Your brother was

right."

"About what?"

"Love really can conquer anything." She answered as she kissed him again.

**The End**

_**A/N: This was actually meant to be a one-shot, but it was becoming so long that I divided it into chapters, which is why there aren't very many! **_

_**Thank you SO much for reading and especially to those of you who waited patiently (or impatiently) while I attempted to get this finished! **_

_**Hopefully it was worth waiting for! *hugs*  
><strong>_


End file.
